Chapter Text
The mesmerising night sky glittered outside the window of the River House as Ciara lay on her side gazing at the stars, her mind to awake to let her sleep. So much had happened over the last few years it sometimes still left her reeling. Only the strong, warm arm wrapped around her waist kept her feeling grounded. The steady breathing of her mate beside her helped calm her. That and the knowledge that her daughter slept soundly, safely, in the next room gave her a sense of relief she hadn’t experienced in years. Not since her husband was alive.
Lord Erik Drayke, the man she had been made to marry. Her heart still ached a little when she thought of him. Despite him not being her mate she had loved him, not at first, but over the years she had grown to love him deeply and he had loved her fiercely in return.
Erik had granted her freedom from her father, taught her so much and given her a wonderful daughter but the love she felt through the mate bond was far stronger. So much so that it sometimes felt like she couldn’t quite draw breath when she beheld her mate, but the bond was still so fresh. It was something they both still struggled with. Despite this, she knew that a small part of her heart, her soul, would always belong to Erik. She could never forget him, not with his daughter looking more and more like him each day.
The large, membranous wing that partially covered her right side twitched slightly and drew her from her thoughts. Azriel. Her mate. It still felt strange to her to say that. They had only accepted the bond a few weeks ago after a few ups and downs while getting to know each other.
It was fair to say Azriel hadn’t been too thrilled to find out that his chosen mate was the sister of two males he had hated. Eris and Lucien. He disliked them for different reasons and when Ciara had shown up in the Night Court he’d immediately been wary of her.
Most in Prythian hated the Vanserra family though not much was known about their youngest, Ciara. She had been kept largely couped up in the Forrest house from a young age. She didn’t attend any parties or councils hosted by other Courts before it was announced she was to be married to a wealthy Lord in Montesere. She was wed, shipped off to her new husband and no one heard or saw much of her until after the war with Hybern.
Ciara lifted a hand and traced the edge of the wing that had now curled itself further around her body. These powerful Illyrian wings were still somewhat of a novelty to her. She loved to touch them, trace the small blood vessels that crisscrossed them, and feel the sharp point of them under her fingers.
She had been quite delighted to find out the effect that these touches had on her usually stoic mate. She smiled at the memory of when she had first dared to touch him there. She had thoroughly enjoyed seeing his resolve crumble and desire take over when she’d had him at her mercy, bound by his own shadows in her old childhood bedroom. The memory alone made her slick with desire and she clamped her thighs together in an attempt to gain some friction.
She felt something twitch against the small of her back and a soft groan slipped from Azriel’s lips. She continued running her index finger along the inside of his wing, lightly scraping a nail over the spidery veins underneath. Suddenly the hand that had been draped over her waist shot upwards to grip her wrist, halting her exploration.
“Stop that” he grunted into her hair. She grinned and wriggled her hips backwards to meet his. He let out a soft growl in her ear.
“Did I wake you?” Ciara whispered sweetly. She twisted her hand, loosening his grip on her wrist before grasping his fingers and bringing them to her lips, placing soft kisses along his knuckles. He let out a soft huff of annoyance but brushed a kiss across her neck, breathing in her scent.
Ciara then guided his hand downwards, brushing over the soft curves of her body to settle between the apex of her thighs. Azriel groaned when his fingers met the soft flesh of her sex, so wet and ready for him. He drew his fingers through her folds, stroking her slowly before drawing long, languid circles over the sensitive flesh that crowned her opening.
Ciara shifted her head back, exposing her throat to him and let out a breathy moan.
“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” Azriel whispered as he kissed and nipped at the expanse of her throat. “Waking me at all hours to satisfy you.”
“Getting too old to keep up are we Az?” Ciara chuckled and before she knew it, she was flipped onto her back, Azriel’s strong arms pinning her wrists above her head. She grinned like a cat as she looked up at him, his eyes dark with desire and a small snarl parting his lips.
“Why am I cursed to have such a wicked mate,” he grumbled before he dipped down to claim her mouth in a searing kiss. Ciara groaned in response and returned the kiss with fervour. Her legs moved up to encircle his waist and draw him closer. The material of her silk shift bunched at her hips and exposed the heat of her core to him. His huge, hard length pressed into her folds.
“Oh I know we Vanserra’s are known to be rather wicked, but I concede to your experience in that respect Az,” Ciara rasped as he began trailing kisses along her neck and down towards her breasts. He chuckled and drew a nipple into his mouth through the silk negligée, drawing it into a peak and grazing his teeth over it.
It sent Ciara writhing beneath him. “Oh, you’ve only had a taste of just how wicked I can be Ciara,” Ciara’s eyes went wide at the look of pure hunger on his face. He swiftly let her hands go and grasped her legs instead, unhooking them from around his waist before quickly shifting her again so she was lying on her stomach.
Before Ciara could properly get her balance, he was on her, slowly pushing every inch of his glorious length into her. She balanced on her elbows and craned her neck to look at him. His eyes were shut, savouring the way she stretched to accommodate him, the way her cunt fluttered around him as he fully sheathed himself in her, hitting a particularly sensitive spot.
“Oh fuck…Az.” Gods he was big .
She had only bedded three other males in her life and he was by far the most impressive in that respect. He began moving at a steady pace, withdrawing fully before slowly sliding back in. She still wasn’t used to how full she felt when he was inside her, the feeling of it set her whole body aflame. Literally. Small flames started rolling off her hair, licking over her skin and flowing over the bed sheets surrounding them. She turned her head to watch as his shadows chased them, entwining with them, shadow and flame twirling in a sensuous dance. It was this display that had first made them suspect that mate bond.
“Try not to set fire to the sheets again,” he said, stopping to watch their magic dance with one another, a smile playing at his lips. She had reduced several sets of bed sheets to ash during the first few days of the ‘frenzy’. She’d nearly set the whole cabin on fire, flames climbing the walls as she climaxed, but thankfully she had managed to rein those flames back in before any real damage had been done. Azriel would never have heard the end of it from his brothers if they’d been responsible for burning their mountain retreat to the ground during their mating.
“I have complete control of them, don’t worry,” Ciara snickered. His right hand snaked around her throat and up her jaw, tilting her head to face him. She kissed him deeply as he began thrusting again, faster this time.
He was slowly becoming more and more comfortable with her Autumn magic, her flames that could burn so hot it would reduce most things to a pile of smouldering ash. ‘They’d never hurt you’ she had said when she’d seen that flicker of fear in his eyes as they began a tentative friendship all those months ago when she’d first arrived in the Night Court. He hadn’t fully believed her at the time, but now he didn’t mind the way her flames moved around him. He sometimes liked the way they felt as they kissed his skin. But he had a limit, she knew this and the moment she realised, she would pull her flames back and let him recover.
He drew her up onto her knees, setting her on all fours and began a more punishing rhythm. It had her moaning louder this time and she arched her back when he fisted a hand into her hair, pulling hard.
Ciara loved the mix of pain and pleasure. It was something her husband had shown her, the way pleasure can be heightened with a spike of pain at the right moment, it made her legs weak and her core melt and it was something her mate was quite thrilled to discover.
Ciara knew she was close, could feel that tight coiling feeling inside of her building to its peak. Azriel sensed it too as her moans softened into desperate whimpers. He landed a stinging smack to her ass before pulling her up so her back was flush with his chest, altering the angle of how he moved inside her.
She cried out as her release washed over her and her head lolled back onto his shoulder, eyes fluttering as she savoured every sensation. He gripped her throat firmly and continued to jerk his hips forward, his own release imminent. He growled low near her ear as he came and collapsed forward, pinning her beneath his solid weight.
It took a few moments for his mind to clear. Being with his mate in this way was a different kind of pleasure, one that robbed him of all thought, all speech each time he found release. Eventually, he rolled off her, pulling her over with him as he settled on his back and cradled her to his chest.
Ciara smiled and pressed a tender kiss just above his heart, sighing softly as she lay her head down and listened to the steady beating of it.
They lay in silence for a while, letting the sweat cool on their skin while Azriel stroked small patterns between her shoulder blades. Ciara hummed in contentment.
“Feeling satisfied?” Azriel drawled as he gripped her chin and tilted her head up to face him studying her face. Her brown eyes were still a little unfocused, her lips swollen with cheeks flushed. Beautiful. She looked beautiful like this.
There was normally such fire behind her eyes, always dancing in her dark gaze, but when she was like this her eyes softened and he got a true glimpse at the female behind the flames. It was easy to forget she was nearly four centuries younger than him when her guard was up and her mask was on. She was every bit the fiery daughter of Autumn. She gave Eris a run for his money which was always a joy to watch. But in these moments, when it was just them, her mask slipped and his heart would clench at the way she’d look at him, adoration gleaming in her eyes.
A lazy smile graced her lips. “Hmm..…for now at least,” she murmured. A laugh rumbled in Azriel’s chest as her hand came up to cradle his cheek, drawing him into a slow kiss that set his heart racing.
Ciara pulled away, her gaze sweeping over Azriel while her thumb swept over his cheekbone.“So handsome,” she muttered, brushing another chaste kiss to his lips before settling her head back down on his chest.
A smile curled at the edge of Azriel’s mouth as he closed his eyes. He’d only have a couple of hours before he’d need to be up. He was used to not getting much sleep, even before being mated. He remembered the days when his mind wouldn’t stay quiet when sleep would only happen when his body gave out and even then only for a few hours. Now he slept well most nights when he wasn’t being woken up by his mates’ insatiable needs. Being around her stilled that restlessness within him, within his mind. Sated that primal part of him that even Rhys had a hard time controlling.
He had closed his eyes for what only seemed like moments before he became aware of sunlight streaming through the windows. Ciara lay on her back to his left, dark auburn hair splayed around her head, mouth slightly parted still fast asleep. She looked so peaceful. Az stared a moment before slipping out of bed and slipping some loose pants on, moments before the door adjoining their room burst open and the pattering of little feet was heard.
Isla, Ciara’s daughter, launched herself onto their bed. Ciara jerked awake violently as her daughter flew into her arms. Azriel looked on smiling at the scene.
“Ugh…good morning daughter,” Ciara choked out groggily as she adjusted herself to sit against the headboard.
“Why aren’t you awake yet?! I was so excited I hardly slept!” Isla enthused, grinning from ear to ear. It was Winter Solstice and Isla had been growing more and more excited about it all week.
“Well, I’m awake now and we can start celebrating, okay?” Ciara cupped Isla’s face in her hands and kissed her on her nose gently. Isla’s nose scrunched up at the contact.
“Hurry up then!” Isla whined pulling at her Mother’s arms to try and haul her out of bed. “Cass said he’d fly me to Velaris to see the markets and I don’t want him to leave without me!”
Azriel grinned and strode over, plucking Isla off her feet, holding her against his side. The little girl only looked affronted for a moment before she threw her arms around his neck and looked at him expectantly. “Help me get her out of bed.”
Azriel laughed. “How about you and I get some breakfast while your mother gets ready? Then we’ll all go down to the market?” Azriel suggested.
“Fine! But I still want Cass to fly me there. He always flies so fast!” Her eyes lit up at the thought.
“I’ll not take it personally,” Azriel replied dryly. He set her down again and pushed her towards her room. “Go get dressed and I’ll be there soon.”
Azriel disappeared into the bathing suite to quickly wash the scent of last night off him. When he reappeared, Ciara was out of bed, stretching her muscles with feline grace before sauntering over to him and slipping her arms around his neck.
“I’ll be down for breakfast as soon as possible. Thank you for keeping her occupied.” She leaned up to kiss his cheek. It meant everything to her that he wanted to be something of a father to Isla.
“Take your time, Cass can always take her the scenic route to Velaris and we can meet them there.”
Ciara smiled and slipped out of Azriels grasp to walk into the bathing suit, closing the door behind her. Even over the spray of the shower, she could hear Isla next door chattering away to Azriel about all the things she wanted to see at the market, and how excited she was for presents as they left their quarters in the River House to meet the others for breakfast.
Ciara stepped into the hot water, letting the warmth ease any tension in her muscles from last night's activities. Her heart sang in her chest. After a tumultuous few years, it felt wonderful having her mate and her daughter with her for this celebration. It was a chance for her to simply relax and enjoy her time spent with those she loved. Since her husband's death, she’d found it hard to muster the energy to celebrate, sorrow and loss always tainting any joy she felt but now, she felt her heart healing. Being with Azriel had brought her peace, and she looked forward to her future with the mysterious shadowsinger at her side.